Detergent composition



ATTORNEYS J. J. MORRISROE DETERGENT COMPOSITION Flled July 23 1947 .2mm oom u www2 1 5.2; #to uw w So sept.' 16, 1952' Patented Sept. 16, 1952 Tant *oi-"Flor:

l 2,610,950 DETERGENT COMPOSITION .lohn J. Morrisroe, Berkeley, Calif., assignor to California Research Corporation, San vFrancisco, Calif., a corporation of Delaware Application July Z3, 1947, Serial No. 762,932

2 Claims. (Cl. 252-109) This invention relates to detergent compositions, and more particularly to detergent compositions of high detergency co-acting with high foam in Which the ratio of inorganic salts to organic detergent salts exceeds unity.

The prior art as shown by Colgate et al. 2,294,075 teaches the combination of soap, synthetic detergents and phosphates, stating (page 3, column l, lines l-ll) The most desirable compositions contain about 40 to about 60 per cent soap, about 40 to about 5 per cent organic sulfonate and about 10 to about 40 per cent of the phosphorus compound. When these proportions are exceeded by only a slight amount, the change in properties of the composition will also be only slight; however, if the proportional limits are materially exceeded the detergent resulting will be found to compare unfavorably with one prepared according to these disclosures. y

Such was the priorart eld at the time-:applicant entered therein. Applicant, notwithstanding the teaching of unfavorably combined proportions to be found outside the scope of the teaching, has in fact discovered and Iherein teaches that extremely desirable detergent proportions are in fact to be found in this unfavorable region.

Applicants detergent compositions consist of soap, synthetic detergent of the alkyl aromatic sulfonate type, phosphate and sulfates. Such four component compositions, if taken in the proportions taught by applicant, yield highly desirable combinations of high foam coacting with high detergency as more fully presented hereinafter, contrary tothe prior art expectations respecting such combinations.

The figure is a triangular co-ordinate graph indicating the area Within the purview of applicants invention.

It is an object of this invention toprepare detergency combinations of high foam co-acting Withhighdetergency. p

Other'V objects will become self apparent from. the disclosure as more fully presentedhereinafter.v

2 Y. f Applicant has discovered and herein teaches that mixtures containing predominant amounts of inorganic salts of alkali sulfate and tetraalkali pyrophosphate and lesser amounts of fatty acid soaps and synthetic alkyl benzene sulfonates, have the desired Y propertiesk .enumerated abovein a single combination if taken at the concentrations which applicant herein also teaches.

These concentrations comprise about 23y to about 4l per cent alkali sulfate, about 14'to about 44 per cent phosphate, about 6 to about 25 per cent soap of the higher fatty acids and about 15 to about 28per cent alkali metal alkyl aromatic sulfonate, the four components being so selected as to quantity so as to add up to per cent at all times. Applicants invention in contradistinction vto the prior art is thus seen toibe predominantly inorganic salt and thus diametrically opposed to the prior art mode of thinking,

viz., building or fortifying a base consisting predominantly of soap per se or soap plus organic synthetics. Applicants compositions contain a ratio of alkali; inorganic salts to alkali organic detergents-'greater than one and preferably not um ions when dissolved in Water containing these The chemical formulay exalkaline earth ions. pressing the reaction is asv follows:

Such asequestering of calcium leaves free sodium ion for maintaining in part a highly desirable alkaline reserve.' This alkaline reserve applicantv has further bolstered by the use of sodium sulfate which compound tends to react with calcium ion to produce insoluble calcium sulfate as folother source of Valkaline reserve, namely, that arising from alkali soaps and alkali synthetic" detergents. All of applicants component compositions are thus seen to be composed of an alkali metal cation and an acidic anion combination selected from the class consisting of fatty acid soaps, synthetic detergents and soap builders. And by soap builders, applicant includes such anions as the phosphates, the polyphosphates and sulfates.

By predominant amounts of inorganic salts of alkali sulfate and tetra-alkali pyrophosphate or equivalent builders applicant means compositions in which the ratio of the sum of these alkali salts to the sum of the alkali fatty acid soap and alkali alkyl benzene sulfonate constituents exceeds unity and preferably does not exceed 2.1 units. Organic detergents as used herein signify alkali salts of the higher fatty acids and the alkali salts of alkyl benzene sulfonic acids preferably wherein the alkyl group contains 12 to 16 carbon atoms.

And by high detergency applicant means the ability to remove heavy, black, greasy dirt from surfaces, as indicated by a soil removing efiiciency reading greater than 59 units in Launderometer runs at 140 F. on cotton using hard water of 300 P. P. M. (parts per million), consisting of 1A; magnesium and 2/5 calcium. Detergency readings are a measure of soil removing eiciency and are determined by the change in light reflectance of an artificially soiled cloth, washed for minutes and rinsedfor 10v minutes at 140 F. in said Launderometer and are calculated from the reflectance of the unsoiled cloth (R-I the reflectance of the soiled cloth before washing (Rf-2), and the reflectance of the soiled cloth after Washing (Rf-3) as follows:

Percent soil removal= (im X 100 Said high detergency as demonstrated by soil removals from cotton is not by Way of limitation inasmuch as said high detergency is equally applicable to soil removals from such divergent materials as glassware, chinaware, and ceramic or metallic or wooden or equivalent surfaces in general.

The pH measurements were made with a Beckman model G laboratory pH meter at 25 C. in water of the 300 P. P. M. hardness specified above.

The foam tests were run according to the method of Ross and Miles, Oil and Soap, May 1941, pages 99-102, at 110 F. And by high foam, as used herein and in the appended claims applicant means foam heights of at least 200 mm., using water of 300 P. P. M. hardness as specified above. l y

Detergents of foam heights of greater than 200 mm. cooperating with detergencies of greater than 59 are highly desirable in their own right. Applicant has discovered such characteristics are obtainable along with other highly desirable characteristics such as moderatepH, preferably below 10, and high alkaline reserve by correct proportioning of alkali compounds such as tetra-alkali pyrophosphate with alkali sulfate, alkali fatty acid soaps and alkali alkyl benzene sulf'onates.

In compounding applicants composition, the sodium sulfate is preferably added in admixture with alkyl benzene sulfonate and preferably in amounts of 40 per cent on the basis of the mixture weight.

4 Table I-Foam heights Sodium Alkyl Bcn- Tetrasodium zene Sulfonate 'Sodium Foam Pyrophosphate (40%); sodium Stcarate Heights Sulfate (60%) b-l l-l esceasessass;ce@esosesess'sssaaasaaasssssss H e e ooseseeoosssseosseaseoe a ooassseoooosoossaessosg,

Table IIL-,Detergency l Sodium Alkyl Ben- Tetrasodlum zene Sulfonate Sodium Deter enc Pyrophosphate (40%); sodium Stearate g, y

Sulfato (60%) Referring nowvto Table I, these foam heights were determined by the Ross and Miles method (supra) using water of artificially prepared hardness of 300 P. P. M. consisting of one-third magnesium and two-thirds calcium, at F.

Referring to Table II, respecting detergency, the values given were obtained at 140 F. on an artificially soiled cloth accordingto the' detergency formula presented above. The cloth used for testing was a cotton cloth of x 120 thread count. Applicants soil was prepared according to the following formula:

20 grams acidless tallow 'I2 grams white oil 8 grams lampblack (Monsanto No. 2) 1 gal. technical carbon tetrachloride Referring now to Figure 1, the cross-hatched area bounds the area of foam heights of 200 mm. or greater coacting with detergencies of 59 or greater. This area of high foam and high detergency has a pH in all its combinations of about 10 or less and is particularly suitable for economic cleaning purposes.

Apex A denotes 100% sodium stearate, apex B denotes 100% tetrasodium pyrophosphate and apex C denotes a mixture of sodium alkyl benzene sulfonate whose alkyl group contains from 12 to 16 carbon atoms with sodium sulfate in the ratio of two parts sulfonate to three parts sulfate by weight. The area within the parabola denotes a detergency of 59 units or greater and the area `above the diagonal line running from left to right denotes the foam area of 200 mm. or higher. The cross-hatched area denotes the area of applicants invention.

Ratio of inorganic salts to organic detergents determined at points I, II, III and IV were, respectively, 1.03, 1.08, 1.76 and 2.06. It is obvious that the predominant amount of applicants invention consistsof inorganic alkali salts as these four points constitute the bounds of applicants area of invention. In calculating applicants composition, the four constituents are so selected as to quantity as to add up to 100 per cent.

Applicant may use in lieu of sodium stearate any water soluble alkali soap of the higher fatty acids and in lieu of tetrasodium pyrophosphate, applicant may use any equivalent alkali phosphate or polyphosphate. Applicants invention is not limited to the specilc examples shown but contemplates all compositions falling Within the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A detergent composition having a pH from above about '7.0 to about 10.0, capable of producing foam heights of at least 200 mm. when dissolved in hard water at 1.0 F. (determined by Ross Miles method) and consisting of a major proportion of inorganic alkali metal salts and a minor proportion of organic detergents, the ratio of said inorganic salts to said organic detergents ranging from above 1.0 to less than 2.1, said inorganic alkali metal salts comprising from about 14 to about 44% by Weight of tetrasodium pyrophosphate and from about 23 to about 41% by weight of sodium sulfate, and said organic detergents comprising from about 6 to about 25% by weight of a water-soluble sodium soap of a higher fatty acid and from about 15 to about 28% by weight of sodium alkyl benzene sulfonate containing from 12 to 16 carbon atoms in the alkyl chain, the sum of the four constituents adding up to by Weight in all combinations.

2. A detergent composition having a pH from above about 7.0 to about 10.0, capable of producing foam heights of at least 200 mm. when dis solved in hard water at F. (determined by Ross Miles method) and consisting of a major proportion oi inorganic alkali metal salts and a minor proportion of organic detergents, the ratio of said inorganic salts to said organic detergents ranging from above 1.0 to less than 2.1, said inorganic alkali metal salts comprising from about 14 to about 44% by weight of tetrasodium pyrophosphate and from about 23 to about 41% by weight of sodium sulfate, and said organic detergents comprising from about 6 to about 25% by weight of a water-soluble sodium stearate and from about 15 to about 28% of a sodium salt of an alkyl benzene sulfonic acid containing from 12 to 16 carbon atoms in the alkyl chain.

JOHN J. MORRISROE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,390,295 Flett Deo. 4, 1945 2,404,289 Hicks et al. July 16, 1946 2,486,921 Byerly Nov.v l, 1949 2,486,922 Y Strain Nov. l, 1949 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 535,809 Great Britain Apr.23, 1941 OTHER REFERENCES Chemical Formulary, Bennett. Chem. Pub. Co., N. Y., vol. 6 (1943), p. 454.

Chemical by Glyco, Booklet of Glyco Products Co. N. Y. (1944) pages 82-84. 

1. A DETERGENT COMPOSITION HAVING A PH FORM ABOVE ABOUT 7.0 TO ABOUT 10.0, CAPABLE OF PRODUCING FOAM HEIGHTS OF AT LEAST 200 MM. WHEN DISSOLVED IN HARD WATER AT 1.0* F. (DETERMINED BY ROSS MILES METHOD) AND CONSISTING OF A MAJOR PROPORTION OF INORGANIC ALKALI METAL SALTS AND A MINOR PROPORTION OF ORGANIC DETERGENTS, THE RATIO OF SAID INORGANIC SALTS TO SAID ORGANIC DETERGENTS RANGING FROM ABOVE 1.0 TO LESS THAN 2.1, SAID INORGANIC ALKALI METAL SALTS COMPRISING FROM ABOUT 14 TO ABOUT 44% BY WEIGHT OF TETRASODIUM PYROPHOSPHATE AND FROM ABOUT 23 TO ABOUT 41% BY WEIGHT OF SODIUM SULFATE, AND SAID ORGANIC DETERGENTS COMPRISING FROM ABOUT 6 TO ABOUT 25% BY WEIGHT OF A WATER-SOLUBLE SODIUM SOAP OF A HIGHER FATTY ACID AND FROM ABOUT 15 TO ABOUT 28% BY WEIGHT 